Urban Centre · Area profile
Bendigo
162 km²
A high number of recent arrivals and residents who have moved in the last five years define the changing face of Bendigo. This large community is marked by a high proportion of separate houses and families with children, though it also has a significant number of people living alone. While many residents have an English and Australian heritage, there is a growing trend of people with no religious affiliation. It is a place where home ownership is common, but typical incomes sit a little below the national figure.
Explore Bendigo by topic
The typical resident is 39, which is a little older than the national figure. Children under 15 make up 18.8% of the population, a figure that is higher than most similar areas.
Most of the population was born in Australia, with 84.8% born here. This is far below the national figure of 27.7% for people born overseas, and English and Australian are the most common ancestries.
English is the main language for 87.5% of the community. While the use of another language at home is much higher than in similar areas, it remains far below the state and national figures.
Nearly half of the population (47.4%) reports having no religion. This is well above the national figure of 38.9% and the state figure of 39.3%.
The area has a higher rate of bachelor degrees (20.3%) and Year 12 completions (48.9%) than most similar areas, though both figures are well below the state and national averages.
Typical weekly household income is $1,428, which is higher than in similar areas but a little below the national figure of $1,746.
Residents experience more health challenges than most similar areas, with 35.0% having a long-term health condition and 13.1% reporting a mental health condition, both well above the national average.
Unpaid care is common here, with 14.5% of people providing unpaid care and 27.7% caring for children, both of which are higher than most similar areas.
One-parent families are more common here (18.0%) than in most similar areas and well above the national figure of 14.1%. Around 30.0% of people live alone.
The area is dominated by separate houses (90.2%), which is far above the national figure. Most homes are large, with 80.0% having three or more bedrooms.
Cars are the primary way to get around, with 63.9% of people driving to work. Very few people use public transport to commute (0.9%), and only 13.1% work from home.
The community is quite mobile, with 41.2% of people moving in the last five years. Recent overseas arrivals have also increased, reaching 17.1%, which is higher than most similar areas.
Health care and social assistance is the biggest employer at 19.9%. About 59.6% of adults are working or looking for work, which is higher than most similar areas.
Most homes are within a short walk of a park (96.3%) or public transport (90.5%). However, fewer people can walk to groceries (55.5%) or health services (50.5%) compared to the state average.